Dixie Chicks

They look so friendly, don`t they? So approachable. So playful. So ... nice. By all accounts, the three women of the Dixie Chicks are about as down-to-earth as stratospherically successful pop phenoms get. Just as long as you love them for what they are and keep your doubts to yourself.

"We`re the only people who don`t underestimate ourselves because we know what we want and we know how hard we`re willing to work to get it," said effervescent singer Natalie Maines, who performs alongside multi-instrumentalists Emily Robison and Martie Seidel.

"I remember when one of our producers heard `Sin Wagon,` he said, `You might want to rethink the line about mattress dancing because you have a lot of young fans out there and their parents won`t let them listen to that.` But we stuck to our guns because we don`t make albums for children or for anyone else, we make them for ourselves. And we can`t let the audience or the record label dictate who we are."

If you are one of the 5 million people who have purchased the Chicks` album "Fly" since its release last fall, then you know that the rambunctious "Sin Wagon" made the cut. You also know that the term "mattress dancin`" does not come up once. It comes up twice. Throw in a jaunty song about "Thelma and Louise"-style revenge ("Goodbye Earl"), a blithe tune about bad-news boyfriends ("Hole in the Head"), and assorted bluegrass barn burners, and you have exactly the kind of album you`d expect from a genre-busting group that won`t take "No, you can`t" for an answer.

But you`ll need to listen to the rest of the album to get the whole story about the women behind the music. It won`t always be the real story, but Maines promises it will be true.

"I think `Fly` has less attitude than (1998`s) `Wide Open Spaces,`" the 25-year-old Maines explained from a Calgary tour stop. "The songs may not be autobiographical, but in `Fly,` there are those songs that represent the sensitive side that we all have. I think everyone out there has felt all these things, from `Sin Wagon` and `Goodbye Earl` to sadder songs like `Without You` and `If I Fall You`re Going Down With Me.` I was going through a divorce when we made this record, so `Let Him Fly` (by singer-songwriter Patty Griffin) meant a lot to me."

Singing the stuffing out of great songs is one of the Dixie Chicks` many specialties. Living the stuff of great success stories is another.

The Chicks got their start 11 years ago, when sisters Seidel, 30, and Robison, 27, joined Robin Lynn Macy and Laura Lynch in a band that performed for tips on a Dallas street corner. The group graduated from busking to playing barbecues, society parties and assorted civic events that required rousing renditions of the national anthem. By 1995, Macy and Lynch had left the group, and Maines - who was attending the Berklee College of Music at the time - had stepped in.

With three self-produced albums behind them, the trio signed with Sony/Monument in 1996. The group released "Wide Open Spaces" two years later, and it was a blockbuster. The group`s mix of glorious country harmonies, inspiring musicianship and fierce punkish energy made it a favorite with critics, country radio and crowds alike. And when the album sold 8 million copies, the three Chicks became a crossover success of headline-inspiring proportions. They also became a force to reckon with, and Maines hopes they are using their power to everyone`s advantage.

"We went nuts with this show," Maines said of their elaborate "Fly" tour. "We really wanted to connect with the audience, and we finally have the money and the crew to do it. We wanted the show to be entertaining from the minute people walk in until we play our last song. The band has been working for this for 11 years, and since you never know when you`re going to have this kind of money again, we went all out."

But once you`ve laughed at the comedians and the wacky videos and gasped at the lights and the set design, make sure you take a good look at the three hard-working, hard-playing women in the middle of it all. The Chicks love their jobs, and they can`t wait to get the next generation started.

"One of the things I hope people get from watching us is how important it is for girls to play musical instruments. It`s important for boys to play them, too, but that field has been dominated by men forever," Maines said. "What makes us different is that it`s girls up there picking and playing instruments. I don`t play that well, but I`ve picked up the guitar and I`m trying to learn the bass, so it`s never too late to learn new things. I hope that`s inspiring to people."

(c)Copley News Service

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Author: Karla Peterson